Centering and grounding what are they, and what's the difference?

If you don't happen to be familiar, l'll be talking about two practices that not only should be the building blocks of energy work, rituals and spellwork, but also are beneficial in everyday stress management. I've seen these two concepts used interchangeably while they refer to two different methods, albeit they often go hand in hand. Let's break them down. Centering is the act of focusing on what is inside you and calming it down. Whether your emotions are swirling or you feel like you lost yourself, the act of centering is what you need. It's like finding peace inside, no matter what is happening on the outside. Grounding, on the other hand, is being mindful of your connection to energy outside you, be it r nature or something higher. It can also be thought of as an energy exchange between you and that outside source, getting rid of excessive energy or filling your reserves. But it is also about getting in touch with the physical world. Both practices make you focus on the present moment, but in a sense one turns your focus inside, while the other turns it outside. One makes you feel yourself inside you, the other makes you feel yourself in your environment, in relation to something else. The most basic centering exercise is focusing on your breath - you might even try out a calming pattern. One of them is: inhale for 4 seconds, keep for 4, exhale for 8. Immediately start again, then repeat it as many times as you feel necessary. You can also visualize locating what feels like your center of gravity - physically it's about 2 inches below the navel, but some people feel it in their heart area. Whatever feels comfortable for you, just feel your energy concentrating there. You can do grounding by standing bare footed, feeling the earth below you, then visualizing tendriis coming from your feet and reaching deep down to earth, connecting with the energies there. You can then fill your reserves or send down excess energy through these tendrils, or just enjoy the connection between you and something greater. Once you're done don't completely cut the tendrils, just make them narrower, so that you can use them as soon as you need to. As for the physical part, if you feel you need to ground, you can do so by eg. doing yoga, eating something and savoring it, or physically getting in touch with nature. The best way to use these exercises is in conjunction - first center, then ground, and I recommend doing them at least once or twice a week. Grounding is also beneficial after rituals or spellwork, to get rid of any energy build up and to bring you back to this realm. It is worth noting that if you follow a particular tradition, it is advised to ask your elders how they practice centering and grounding, so that you can stay true to your path. You can find more information on the following websites: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS 83.htm https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-empowerment-diary/202002/ what-is-centering -what-is-grounding https://uhs.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/breathing exercises 0.pdf And in the 20th episode of the podcast "3 Pagans and a Cat": (https : //www.3pagansandacat.com/020) This class was created for you by Aetherbond